Scientists just discovered a process that turns CO2 directly into ethanol

If scientists can figure out how to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into fuel - and do it at an industrial scale - it would, quite literally,
change the world.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A new report claims that scientists evidently discovered a method of using
atmospheric carbon dioxide to create ethanol.

Popular Mechanics reported that scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee were working on finding
out whether chemical reactions could make the conversion.

What they found, in true beginners’ luck style, was that the first step in their research actually did the trick.

Popular Mechanics explained: “The tech involves a new combination of copper and carbon arranged into nanospikes on a silicon surface. The
nanotechnology allows the reactions to be very precise, with very few contaminants.”

The process also reportedly works at room temperature, which would save a lot on energy costs.

The news comes as scientists report the world has reached the highest levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide in 4 million
years.

Rondinone and his colleagues had put together a catalyst using carbon, copper, and nitrogen, by embedding copper nanoparticles into
nitrogen-laced carbon spikes measuring just 50-80 nanometres tall. (1 nanometre = one-millionth of a millimetre.)

When they applied an electric current of just 1.2 volts, the catalyst converted a solution of CO2 dissolved in water into ethanol, with a yield of 63
percent.

If they are indeed suggesting that we have essentially found a solution to reverse anthropogenic climate change, and get useable energy in the
process, then this is a HUGE story. Count on the MSM to be totally silent on this then. Unless, of course, they name this process 'The Trump
Effect'.

originally posted by: SubsonicIf they are indeed suggesting that we have essentially found a solution to reverse anthropogenic climate change, and get useable energy in the
process, then this is a HUGE story.

Thats not at all what they are suggesting. Not in the slightest.

Notice how the CO2 is dissolved in water in the experiment.

Raise any red flags yet?

It should, because AGW is almost entirely a product of CO2 in the AIR. While CO2 in the oceans does raise the acidity of the water, and that is also a
concern, the CO2 that is absorbed into the ocean is actually preventing an even worse scenario.

Would you even want to remove the CO2 from the oceans, even if that was feasible on a practical level (it isnt)? I mean, you turn the CO2 into
ethanol. Now where do you put the ethanol? In tanks to store to eventually burn?

Guess what ethanol turns into WHEN BURNED?

Take a wild #ing guess, anyone...!

Water, CO2, and CO1, mostly.

So, the experiment takes purified (presumably) water with CO2 dissolved in it, and makes ethanol. So, theoretically, you could distil ocean water (a
monumentally huge energy task), and then extract the CO2 basically as ethanol, to burn, so instead of reducing air CO2, you actually take a
sequestration source, one of the biggest if not the, and start removing CO2 from it and dumping it into the air, which is the problem is the first
place.

Ignoring the ocean... where do you get the CO2 from? The air? If you can efficiently extract a trace gas from the atmosphere already (you cant), why
wouldnt you put it somewhere where its not going to act a thermal insulator, like the ground? Turning it back into fuel is a horrible idea.

Yeah... not a solution to AGW. This is not the fantasy technology humanity seeks.

If there is a solution for CO1 then we can reuse the CO2 to make fuel again. And water to cool the engine or whatever you can think of, even drinking.
Why not I mean? A compressor to catch trace elements from the air maybe will be enough for constant driving (car example). Maybe there is an efficent
way to spend the ethanol without the CO1 outcome. CO2 is good to reuse when added with the compressed air which gives more CO2 I mentioned.

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